Neo Ranga - Vol. 1: A God is Risen (DVD, 2003, Collector's Box)

A well done, but recurrent theme in Japanese Anime, Manga, Sci-Fi, & Horror is the friendly yet maybe not-so-friendly god/monsters that tromp through Tokyo Bay and demolish parts of the city before becoming a good guy, or hero.

This one starts well with great layered & matted graphics that are easy on the eyes.
The characters are a favorite for Japanese & Anime audiences, too. 3 sisters living on thier own, parents gone, brother out of touch & uncertain fate for years gone by.....
Naturally they are poor. 1 sister good as gold, 1 the disciplinarian (takes the parental role) 1 the antagonous, mean to a degree sister. The small district they live in takes them to heart & they live somewhat normal lives.

Ther action is fairly well paced from the start. The story line.....a boy finds them from an island on the equator. The island is a nation that the brother landed on, & became King, & then he died.
The girls go to the island & meet the natives & find out the boy is thier nephew. Then they learn they are the inherent Kings of the island Nation. They meet Neo Ranga, & it follows them to Tokyo where the fun begins!

The music is a little corny, but fits well with the themes. There are no bleedovers and great balance. The music at least on this disc does not overwhelm the dialogue.
For the military buffs, there is plenty of high-tech ultra-secret government underground subplots boiling just below the surface.....what wierd agencies are at foot here? Lots of Mil-tech, explosions, hardware, and secrecy galore!!
Good comic relief, plenty of action, enough drama to give balance, and just enough plot to make you want to buy the next disc in the series!

A great date or group anime!
Highly 4 stars out of 5 by
Uncle Dan